It's the first leg of the semifinal, and FCD needs a good result to top a Pachuca team that is one of the best in Mexico. An MLS club has never won the tournament, with a Mexican side taking top honors every time since CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, switched to this format in 2008.

All attention must be on the first leg, but if his players are dreaming of hoisting the trophy that could be four games away, well, coach Oscar Pareja wouldn't be too upset.

Around MLS: Week 2

"We try to do our best every morning and every game. The trophies or winning games are just a consequence of a job well done, but I encourage them all the time to keep dreaming to be the best," said Pareja, closing his eyes, "to keep dreaming about reaching their goals, just keep dreaming about seeing yourself on top. That's for free. Nobody charges for that. We can think about it and work in the week to see the consequences of what we dream."

While several players are taking things "one game at a time, that's the sports clichè," as goalkeeper Chris Seitz said, others are taking advantage of that freedom to let the mind wander.

"They're two games that are going to be very intense," defender Maynor Figueroa said. "The first is at home, and we have to strike first. From there, the next [game], we have to prepare for it as well as possible. Like every player, we have a dream, we have hope, and we hope to achieve the dream."

Doing so won't be easy. Pachuca is one of Mexico's best and most exciting teams, and while top prospect Hirving Lozano is missing because of an injury, there are still a number of threats.

Uruguayan playmaker Jonathan Urretaviscaya is deadly on set pieces and has taken up the slack with Lozano out, while forward Franco Jara is also a scoring threat. At the back, Dallas native Omar Gonzalez and Colombia international Oscar Murillo played a key role in getting Pachuca to the 2016 Clausura title. Behind them is legendary Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez, who at 44 years old still shows hops when making acrobatic saves that earned him the nickname "The Rabbit."

Barrios, a winger, and midfielders Gruezo and Acosta were among players who were rested completely or given abbreviated roles in FCD's scoreless draw with Sporting Kansas City in MLS play, while Pachuca was able to train with FCD in mind thanks to a referee strike that forced Liga MX to suspend the weekend matches.

While the Mexican team is talented, FCD is confident that it can compete at Pachuca's level.

"It's an ambitious club and it's an ambitious team," Seitz said of his teammates. "This group knows what we have and the talent around us. Guys have been around this league long enough to know we have something special here. It's important to capitalize while you have it."